Next Tuesday, February 11, 2014 (12:00 PM Pacific, 20:00 GMT), West Brom will entertain the new league leaders Chelsea at The Hawthorns for round 26 of the English Premier League. The Blues took advantage of Manchester City and Arsenal slip-ups and installed themselves at the top of league, while The Baggies are struggling at the bottom of the table, after entering the relegation zone due to a less impressive row of five matches without winning.
José Mourinho’s Chelsea is enjoying a fantastic moment and only the home draw against their London neighbours of West Ham somewhat stains this recent impressive form. The Blues hammered Newcastle at Stamford Bridge last Saturday with a vintage performance from the Belgian wonderkid Eden Hazard.
For next Tuesday’s match, José Mourinho will probably not be able to count on the Spanish international Fernando Torres, who is still dealing with a knee injury, and on John Terry, who is recovering from a minor knock.
Related: Full Analysis Possible Chelsea Lineup vs West Brom
Probable Chelsea XI vs West Bromwich Albion (4-2-3-1): Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Luiz, Azpilicueta – Lampard, Matic – Willian, Oscar, Hazard – Eto’o.
As for West Brom, things are very different. Pepe Mel’s side comes from a painful defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace, with the Spanish boss questioning the referee’s performance at the end of the match because of a “laughable” penalty that was awarded to the Eagles on the 69th minute of the match.
West Brom appointed Pepe Mel as their new head coach earlier in January, but things are far from being easy for the charismatic Spanish manager. The former Real Betis boss is still looking for a win at the English Premier League and Chelsea is probably not the best opponent to initiate a comeback.
For the clash against Chelsea, Pepe Mel will not be able to count on the flamboyant Beninese footballer Stephane Sessegnon and there are still some doubts concerning Nicolas Anelka and Jonas Olsson, who are not yet completely fit.
West Brom vs Chelsea Prediction
The Hawthorns act as a sort of talisman for West Brom when they play against Chelsea. The Baggies won the two last home matches against The Blues and they will certainly do everything within their grasp to grab the three points during next Tuesday’s clash. As for Chelsea, José Mourinho’s boys want to extend their fantastic moment and the Portuguese manager will certainly want to put an end to Chelsea’s “negative” recent record sheet at the Hawthorns. This being said, the most likely outcome is 2-0 for Chelsea.
West Brom vs Chelsea Television
The match will be televised on NBC Sports Network (USA), for other countries, check on LiveSoccerTV.
